One of the horror genre's "most widely read critics" (Rue Morgue # 68), "an accomplished film journalist" (Comic Buyer's Guide #1535), and the award-winning author of Horror Films of the 1980s (2007), The Rock and Roll Film Encyclopedia (2007) and Horror Films of the 1970s (2002), John Kenneth Muir, presents his blog on film, television and nostalgia, named one of the Top 100 Film Studies Blog on the Net.

The
Cetacean is sent to subdue the Mudworm, a probe with grabbing arms that
Schubert terms his “little runaway.” Mark thinks the Mudworm may actually be a life form.

The device quickly proves a danger by
re-directing a torpedo at the submarine. Worse, it could detonate a volatile undersea mineral compound called K-7.

“The
Mudworm” is very much crafted in the style of a Star Trek (1966-1969)
story.

In
stories of the classic series such as “The Changeling” or “The Ultimate Computer,” we see the
Enterprise crew grappling with a robot or computerized intelligence that seems
to have adopted its own (harmful) agenda.

The Mudworm probe in this episode is very much from the same school of concept, and Mark makes an
implicit comparison to Frankenstein. “Monsters have been known to turn on their
creators,” he tells Schubert.

How,
exactly, a newcomer to human society, history and literature like Mark would
know this example remains a mystery, however. Later in the series, we learn he hasn't read Romeo and Juliet, so Frankenstein seems an unlikely choice. On the other hand, both Mark and the Frankenstein Monster are joined by their status as outsiders.

Beyond
the story of the probe come to malevolent life, this Man from Atlantis
continues to depict Mark as an emotional naif, one who takes people at their
word. Here, in a cringe-worthy subplot, a salesman attempts to sell Mark a set
of encyclopedias. The offer is get one free, and then buy the set. Mark simply takes the free one.

Again, one has to
think of Spock here. Like the first
officer of the Enterprise, Mark does not understand human vices like corruption
or avarice. Mr. Schubert also accurately tags Mark’s “single-minded devotion to virtue.” But to be clear, Mark is a worthwhile character, and no mere Spock rip-off because he although he is a newcomer to emotions, he doesn't shun or try to suppress them. In some ways he is more like Data (Brent Spiner), an individual opening himself up to emotions

“The
Mudworm” is not a bad episode in he catalog, but it ends on an inadequate note. Mudworm is
simply re-directed to attack Schubert, with no sense of how it will be
stopped. The next time we encounter Schubert
(in the very next episode, “Hawk of Mu,”) there is no mention whatsoever of the
device, or how he stopped it. And if the Mudworm is alive, as Mark suspects, isn't it cruel that Schubert killed it? Or that the Cetacean crew permitted it to go after Schubert?

This
lack of a convincing conclusion, not to mention logical follow-up, marks Man
from Atlantis as a seventies series, for certain. Although ostensibly
set in the same universe, with the same character, each episode is really a
standalone, with little continuity between installments. In this day and age, people believed that audiences would forget, one week to the next, what events had occurred on the series.

Also,
this episode continues a trend that runs throughout the series. Mark and Schubert have significant roles, but
other regulars (including Alan Fudge and Belinda Montgomery) have very little
of consequence to do. They are little more than bit-players.

Overall, I consider this to be one of the better episodes of the series. It also features some nice old-school stop-motion effects for the mudworm. Gene Warren did effects for the Saturday morning show "Land of the Lost" too. His use of the "dry" method of filming underwater effects was often more impressive than some of the effects in "Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea".

About John

award-winning author of 27 books including Horror Films FAQ (2013), Horror Films of the 1990s (2011), Horror Films of the 1980s (2007), TV Year (2007), The Rock and Roll Film Encyclopedia (2007), Mercy in Her Eyes: The Films of Mira Nair (2006),, Best in Show: The Films of Christopher Guest and Company (2004), The Unseen Force: The Films of Sam Raimi (2004), An Askew View: The Films of Kevin Smith (2002), The Encyclopedia of Superheroes on Film & Television (2004), Exploring Space:1999 (1997), An Analytical Guide to TV's Battlestar Galactica (1998), Terror Television (2001), Space:1999 - The Forsaken (2003) and Horror Films of the 1970s (2002).

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What the Critics Say...

"...some of the best writing about the genre has been done by John Kenneth Muir. I am particularly grateful to him for the time and attention he's paid to things others have overlooked, under-appreciated and often written off. His is a fan's perspective first, but with a critic's eye to theme and underscore, to influence and pastiche..." - Chris Carter, creator of The X-Files, in the foreword to Horror Films FAQ (October 2013).

"Hands down, John Kenneth Muir is one of the finest critics and writers working today. His deep analysis of contemporary American culture is always illuminating and insightful. John's film writing and criticism is outstanding and a great place to start for any budding writer, but one should also examine his work on comic books, TV, and music. His weighty catalog of books and essays combined with his significant blog production places him at the top of pop culture writers. Johns work is essential in understanding the centrality of culture in modern society." - Professor Bob Batchelor, cultural historian and Executive Director of the James Pedas Communication Center at Thiel College (2014).

"...an independent film scholar, [Muir] explains film studies concepts in a language that is reader-friendly and engaging..." (The Hindu, 2007)"...Muir's genius lies in his giving context to the films..." (Choice, 2007)